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Ranking the Best Home Run Celebrations at the 2026 World Baseball Classic

Kristen Wong|
Here are some of our favorite home run celebrations from the 2026 World Baseball Classic so far.
Here are some of our favorite home run celebrations from the 2026 World Baseball Classic so far. | Screengrab on Twitter/ @TalkinBaseball_

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is officially underway, with 20 hungry teams looking to claim the tournament’s top prize. As the biggest stars of the sport battle it out on the international stage and try to make their respective countries proud, they’re bringing their proven talents—and a bit of whimsical creativity—with them to the plate.

Which teams had celebrations more snooze-worthy than Aaron Judge’s speech? Which teams knocked it out the park, proverbially and literally, with their fun and delightful cellies that took a page out of their country’s cultural traditions (and stereotypes)?

Here are our rankings of the best home run celebrations of the World Baseball Classic so far, starting with the least enthralling:

4. Korea: It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s—no, it’s still a plane

Korea got their tournament off to a smashing start in Thursday’s 11-4 win over Czechia. With that many runs, you would think the players had some exciting celebrations up their sleeve, but they instead chose to spread out their arms and fly like an airplane.

After Bo Gyeong Moon’s grand slam in the first inning of the game, he circled the basepaths and lifted his arms pretending he was flying through the air (hopefully, he made the motor sounds, too).

Watch that kid-friendly celly below:

The reason for the celebration isn’t particularly profound, either: the Korean team was hoping to top Pool C and earn a plane ride to Miami for the quarterfinals.

It’s a nostalgic bit, and even a practically minded one, but it can definitely be beat.

3. Mexico: Behold, the generational impact of Nacho Libre

Mexico showed no mercy in their World Baseball Classic opener against Great Britain in Houston, winning 8-2 in a contest stayed tight until the late innings. As a semifinalist in the 2023 tournament, Mexico rightfully have high hopes this spring, and it looks like they brought not only the heavy hitters but also the heroic heritage of their home country with them to Daikin Park.

At the top of the second inning, Nacho Alvarez Jr. hit a solo home run to give Mexico an early lead, and he proceeded to celebrate by taking out a luchador mask and putting it over his head. He wore it all the way into the dugout as he gleefully high-fived his compatriots:

A guy named Nacho embodying the spirit of lucha libre? You can’t write it up any better than that.

Later on, Mexico’s Jonathan Aranda scored a scintillating three-run homer in the eighth that broke the game open, and he celebrated by wearing a red, white and green sombrero. Classic.

2. Japan: Shohei Ohtani whisks matcha, because what can’t that guy do

It’s only fitting that the sport’s most talented star on the planet has a special celebration at the World Baseball Classic.

During Japan’s opener against Chinese Taipei on Friday, Ohtani wasted no time reminding baseball fans how good he was. The Dodgers superstar hit a grand slam in the second inning to blast open the scoring as Japan, which is trying to defend their 2023 WBC title, cruised to 13-0 mercy-rule victory.

After Ohtani’s RBI single later in the second inning, he was seen making a whisking hand motion, as if he were making matcha (Japanese green tea).

The celly has a great backstory, too (as every one should). Ahead of the World Baseball Classic, Ohtani allegedly gave his younger teammate Koki Kitayama the task of coming up with a hit celebration for Japan. At first, Kitayama pitched a drinking tea celly, but Ohtani turned that down. In Japan’s final exhibition match against Hanshin Tigers earlier this month, they debuted a revamped celebration that whisked the tea instead, which is how matcha is traditionally prepared. It was an immediate crowd-pleaser, and it stuck.

In their WBC opening rout, Japan set the record for most runs in a single inning in the tournament’s history, surpassing the nine runs that Team USA scored against Canada in 2023 and that Cuba put up against Mexico in '09. Ohtani’s five RBIs in a single inning also set a World Baseball Classic record.

Given Japan’s sheer dominance, we’re probably going to see this celly quite a lot.

1. Great Britain: The Redcoats are coming, and they have a brilliant sense of humor

Sometimes, it’s not about the celebration itself, but the delivery. And Great Britain absolutely nailed it.

In their loss to Mexico in group play on Friday, Great Britain brought out their traditional red tunic and extremely high bearskin hat to celebrate Harry Ford’s game-tying homer at the bottom of the sixth the royal way. A cheeky nod to the country’s ever-iconic changing of the guard ceremony, this one was for the books:

Ford really sold it with the marching steps at the end while Jazz Chisholm was cheesin’ nearby.

Stay tuned for more ranked celebrations as the 2026 World Baseball Classic continues!

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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